The issue is not the humiliation. As far as I'm concerned, that's good for the kids.

The issue is that graffiti remover is made of Xylene or other industrial solvents. Any inhalation of Xylene, MEK, Toluene, etc. is terribly bad for you. So is getting it on your skin. It should not be used without a mask and gloves.

here to help:"What she (Williams) did to the eighth-grade class was unthinkable," said Jeff Palmer, father of one of the boys punished. "They were humiliated and bullied."

Overreacting nancy pants says what?

How about suspending the arsehole kids who sprayed the cleaner into the faces of others?

THIS! The teacher's punishment for the students was entirely appropriate. You mess something up then you clean it up, restorative justice. However, if one of the little shiats decides to dig his hole a little deeper while being punished I don't see how it's the teacher's fault.

Serious Black:I cleaned paint off of a bathtub using Goof-Off once. I did it without a mask. Even with the fan on full steam and the door wide open, I couldn't handle more than five minutes in there without feeling like I was about to die.

Goof-Off is xylene and acetone. No, you REALLYreallyreally don't want to breath that shiat.

20/20:I bought "Shower Tub & Tile" by Maintex last year to clean my bathroom tub. Nasty stuff, even with ventilation. No list of ingredients on the bottle that I can find. I doubt I'll use it indoors again. Maybe it will work on my tires.

mostlygray:The issue is not the humiliation. As far as I'm concerned, that's good for the kids.

The issue is that graffiti remover is made of Xylene or other industrial solvents. Any inhalation of Xylene, MEK, Toluene, etc. is terribly bad for you. So is getting it on your skin. It should not be used without a mask and gloves.

Exactly. Teach a lesson, but don't do it unsafely. Turn it into a true teaching moment. Have the kids read the MSDS', put on non-latex gloves and masks -- and goggles, and go to it. Means money out of pocket, since the school won't pay for shiat and won't back up such a punishment in the first place cuz of liability issues, but make it worth it. Too bad for No Child Left Behind, could have made a month of it, having the kids clean different sections of the school as punishment once a week for a quarter.

I do see something in TFA about the boys spraying the cleaner into eachother's faces deliberately.

Yeah, I really don't see a problem with what the teacher did. Suspend the kids who sprayed the cleaner into other student's faces.

Give the teacher a farking raise for imposing some discipline and having to put up with such delinquents.

When I was that age students who misbehaved usually got detention. The janitor often supervised - so it's not unusual IMO to have kids doing janitorial work. It's a bit humiliating, but it's called puinishment, not FUNishment*.

* I swear I just made that up and yet I hate it and I'm sure others have also thought of it.

Clarification: No opinion on whether or not the teacher was in the wrong (TFA doesn't give enough details to decide either way: What kind of cleaner was it? Were they allowed to wear protective gear? Is there any proof that she took pictures, or is that just an outraged parent making up more stuff to be outraged about?), only on the accuracy of subby's headline.

Clarification: No opinion on whether or not the teacher was in the wrong (TFA doesn't give enough details to decide either way: What kind of cleaner was it? Were they allowed to wear protective gear? Is there any proof that she took pictures, or is that just an outraged parent making up more stuff to be outraged about?), only on the accuracy of subby's headline.

A letter placed in Williams' personnel file on Dec. 11 by Schools Director Larry M. Foster warned Williams that she could be dismissed "if additional infractions of this nature occur again."

Ah, unions. Let's say I put a few coworkers in a room to clean a floor. Then I publicly shame them and after that, march them spray another in the eyes with industrial strength chemicals. Do you think that I would get away with a 'letter in my file' or do you think that I'd be brought up on criminal charges and, depending on my lawyer, jail time?